How to understand light and shadow in oil paintings

In the history of Western painting, the use of light can be traced back to the ancient Greek period. The ancient Greeks recognized the importance of light, and thus realized light and shade, color, and the expression of reality. Later, it slowly spread to the Renaissance, and then slowly developed to the present. The biggest use of light is the contrast between light and dark. Beginning with Leonardo da Vinci's "fade-in method", Caravaggio's "wine cellar light method", and then Rembrandt's "chiaroscuro", the use of light has gradually become the mainstream.

Monet's "Haystack"

The real use of light as an important element of expression in a work was the birth of Impressionism after the 18th century. At this stage, the painter began to express the light itself, to express the real light, instead of just being satisfied with the light as an appendage of the object. "Impressionism" pursues the expression of light, color, and atmosphere. In a sense, it is a "scientism" expression of light. At this time, light finally prevails. It is not light that serves the object, but the object that serves the light.

Speaking of this, I have to mention Monet mentioned in the previous article. Monet is a representative figure of Impressionism. His paintings really use light to the extreme.